Wow, I have no words for this "energy expert." Take your blinders off?
.
(Very toung in cheek) May be someone is sipping the cool aid ?
But for blinders, Have you sat with the Author of Manual J8th ? have you seen the math behind what goes into it ?
have you been trained by the author of Manual J ? I have.
What I know about the entirety of code is in my opinion basic at best. I am a certified NYS CEO, that said
am daily humbled by my colleagues knowledge and aspire to one day be as well rounded...
That said and with all due respect, Manual J is so much more than the results of what you see.
Years and years and years of testing have gone into it. Is it perfect ? No. Does it tend to oversize? Yes But, even the author of it
says show me a better method that takes into account as many possibilities for any home on this planet. Its had years of refinement. Been part of (for and against)
probably hundreds (if not thousands) of legal actions.
It has withstood them and the test of time and Its is the defacto standard and mentioned in code for good reason.
Sure, anyone can write software that can provide heat loss calculations. That's easy.
Heat gain on the other hand is what separates the boys from men. No it seperated toddlers from men (and women).
Figure out how to calculate the suns angle of incidence, at the important times of the year, and day, and time while your at it, factor shading and screens, and so on...
likely why imposters oversize wayyy more.... Show me software that does AED or adequate exposure diversity, like any ACCA approved software...
You might ask why is this AED so important, and it is because its a simple way to see if there are any zones or even rooms that present
a challenge to a properly sized system. Having AED is good. Not having it is bad and could lead to serious issues with comfort..
Anyone trained to use ACCA Man J software, who will follow the Do's and Do Not's, will provide whats known as a rigorous Manual J.
They will come up with horse shoes and hand grenades close to what works 110% of the time. ACCA will back you up, IF you have done your part....
If there are other programs that work, all they have to do is submit for testing to ACCA. Sure, the cost to be listed is steep, BUT anyone on this planet can use
Manual J, so the financial possibilities are well worth the investment.
I have seen probably 5-10 "knock off" programs, and the results they provide are completely different than what a rigorous ACCA manual j provides.
On the other hand, and only for block load comparison Rem-Rate (only in new homes) is my bench mark. For cooling loads, it produces the LOWEST required
BTU's of any software. Elite Soft RHVAC is 99.9% as close if done correctly.
I will say out of 500 homes modeled in Rem-Rate, the follow up loads in Elite Soft usually comes to within 95% the first.
When I don't get loads that match between the two (happened may be 3 times in 10+ years) is when I worry about what I have entered.
Im talking about 5-6,000 Sq ft homes where one load may say 39,000 BTU's of cooling and the other may say 39,200 BTUS close...
Any software that tries to simplify the method does at the cost of accuracy.
For cooling, the problem, which is substantial, is comfort is almost always exclusively defined at a temperature instead of temperature AND RH...
Once anyone realizes that RH is at least 50% of the comfort equation, and how sizing greatly affects that part, they quickly realize the smallest equipment that can do the job is always the best. For heating Mean radiant temperature is the other 50%. Understand a heating system that is nearly always producing during the worst times allows everything around you to warm up first, and taking that time allows you (mostly water) to get enough to be comfortable...
If your sport is darts, you want to hit what you aim for. If your into archery, you want to hit that bulls eye. If your into pool, you want that pocket. In almost everything we do we almost always want accuracy.
The most accurate loads should always report the lowest output required to do the job.
Determining the job accurately IS the key.
While Rem-Rate is not designed to produce room by room loads, test for AED and so on, it is a bulls eye for block loads.
Elite Soft done correctly is a bulls eye every day of the week, and twice on sunday.
Code does say Manual J, Ashrae or other APPROVED by the CEO...
I have yet to see one ASHRAE load, and expect that when I do it will be by some MIT grad who is having is own home built.
Full disclosure, I am a trainer of one of the more popular Manual J software platforms. Have trained HVAC and utility professionals form coast to coast.
The blinders have been off for 14+ years and I am proud to say I am cool aid free
Other than that, I would never be the CEO to approve any other software unless its demonstrated to ACCA it can work...